- The good news: TCL launches 163-inch micro-LED for under $40,000
- The Bad: Currently only in China, and that’s also pretty big
- TCL also launches consumer SQD mini-LED TV in China
TCL has revealed two huge micro-LED TVs – and while they’re pricey, they’re not as expensive as you might expect.
Micro-LEDs are extremely expensive to manufacture, which is why you would expect a 100-inch micro-LED TV to cost around $100,000. But TCL’s micro-LEDs are a lot cheaper than that.
As Notebookcheck reports, the more affordable of the two models, the TCL Max163M, has a price in China of 249,999 yuan. That’s around $36,375 / £27,410 / AU$51,615. The most expensive is the TCL Max163M Pro, which costs 349,999 yuan, which equates to around $50,925 / £38,375 / AU$72,259 before taxes and tariffs.
Article continues below
These are incredibly low prices for micro-LED TVs and appear to be a game-changer. While we can’t assume the Chinese price will translate directly to what it would cost in the US (shipping alone…), consider this: the 116-inch Hisense 116UX RGB Mini LED costs $30,000, so paying $36,000 for a 163-inch TV actually seems right in line with that.
TCL Micro-LED and Super Quantum Dot TVs: Key Features
The TCL Max163M TVs both feature a 163-inch micro-LED display that the company claims is capable of achieving up to 10,000 nits of HDR brightness and 100% BT.2020 color gamut.
The displays are low-reflection and the smart functions are powered by TCL’s Control System 3.0. The ports are four HDMI 2.1, one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0. The Pro model has a higher refresh rate than the standard model: 4K at 120Hz. TCL hasn’t shared specs for the other TV yet, but I guess we can assume 60Hz.
Both TVs are currently exclusive to the Chinese market and it is unclear whether they will come to other markets.
Chinese customers can also purchase a new mini quantum dot LED, the TCL Q9M Pro SQD. This will be available in sizes 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches. SQD stands for Super Quantum Dot, and we just measured a version of this technology in the TCL X11L TV. The panel has a native refresh rate of 150Hz which can be increased to 300Hz (presumably at a lower resolution).
It is very similar to the previous generation, the Q9L Pro, and retains the Onkyo 2.2.1 channel audio system from its predecessor, but the panel is brighter, TCL claims 5,000 nits compared to 4,500 in the Q9L Pro. There are four HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6 ports.
As with micro-LED TVs, there is no pricing or availability news yet outside of China, but pricing in that market ranges from 6,199 yuan for the 55-inch to 19,999 yuan for the 98-inch. That works out to around $898 / £677 / AU$1,275, rising to $2,899 / £2,185 / AU$4,110 for the larger model.
TCL’s current X11L SQD lineup in the US comes in at just under $10,000 for the 98-inch model, so these new TVs could be significantly more affordable – from the name, it looks like they could slot above the TCL Q9M RGB TV but below the super flagship X11L.
Are you planning to buy a new television?
Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you’re sitting from your TV, we’ll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from picture quality experts, and we’ll recommend our three best TVs of that size at different prices.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube And TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
